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- How do you think MUDs fit into the current video game industry/market? What are your predictions for the genre over time?
- What things do you see IRE/Aetolia doing to modernize/adapt to a changing industry? What things would you really like to see? What changes do you dislike?
- What cool things can you guys do as coders/producers nowadays that weren't possible/thought of when IRE was first started? With improvements to technology (better clients, new coding languages, portable devices, etc), what are some things you'd like to see done to harness that? Any fun stuff you can hint at?
- Might not be able to answer this, but what are some things Aetolia and IRE struggle with as a company and how are those issues being tackled?
- What advice do you have for effective multitasking and project management?
- How do you handle the high emotions us players can sometimes throw at you guys? Any tips for us player leaders who experience (thankfully much smaller versions of) that sort of backlash/intensity?
- What sort of player-created content/events/activities do you find really cool to observe from an admin standpoint? Any fun anecdotes?
- Can you give some examples of how being an admin changes how you view things? Without spoiling the magic too much, what does an event look/feel like from an admin point of view?
- Can you walk us through a typical login session for you? Do you have any typical/weird/fun rituals/habits/quirks to your gameplay/work?
- What's the weirdest setting/script you have written and why?
- What setting/script do you use the most and why?
- What setting/script/mechanic/feature are you really proud of having made?
- Name one thing in game that really epitomizes what Aetolia is, in your eyes.
- What's your most embarrassing/what have I just made/lol-worthy coding moment?
- If you could code ANYTHING for Aetolia, regardless of time/feasibility/technology, what would it be?
- If you were to give me a pony, what color would it be and what would you name it?
Naturally, MUDs have some big limitations in terms of portraying content, especially anything involving three dimensions. Their heavy text output also alienates anyone who is not a bit of a bookworm by nature.
IRE is undoubtedly the winner in MUDs, as far as I'm concerned, in terms of appealing to a broad section of MUD games. Naturally, RPIs will do RP better, but I think we offer a uniquely balanced approach. Overall, I think Aetolia nails that part above the rest of the IREs without sacrificing combat fun or balance.
Now that graphics power and network bandwidth are no longer hard to come by, MUDs have lost some of their inherent appeal in accessibility. It's almost impossible to buy a new computer that won't run your average graphical MMO, whereas Achaea opened to an Internet atmosphere that cherished every Kb/s. Being able to play from anywhere with a huge degree of flexibility remains a significant advantage of MUDs, as well as being basically the only genre open to players who are significantly visually impaired. MUDs are definitely a niche offering in the overall video game market, but I don't think they're running on nostalgia alone. IRE still gets young players who aren't always initiated by older friends/relatives who already enjoy MUDs. We're still seeing new, young players discovering text-based games and enjoying them, which gives me some serious hope for the future. While IRE is not directly responsible for ATCP and MXP, the two biggest innovations to MUDding, I think we've been instrumental in taking them to new levels. GMCP provides unprecedented communication between clients and games, and our integration of MXP to broaden MUD accessibility is second to none. I would love to expand the musical offerings in our web client and further integrate atmospheric music into the gaming experience. I wouldn't say I hate anything about innovation in the MUD realm, but I hope we don't cross the bridge between GMCP as convenience and GMCP as necessity. Oh man. Our stats and tracking capabilities have expanded massively as the internet grows and big data analysis becomes accessible to businesses of all sizes. We use KISS tracking to assess newbie retention, improve rough spots, and quantitatively track whether our experimental changes are effective. I've reflected on some room for improvement above, with screenreaders, music, and our always-improving webclient. Not sure beyond that what might happen. As a company, IRE sometimes struggles with consistency in motivation. However, I have to say that having Matt and Jeremy back involved in individual IRE games has helped this problem IMMENSELY. We consistently approach problems with the mindset of making things fun for the players while making money, instead of the ideological divide that may have grown over time.
I've talked a couple times about how I feel Aetolia struggles with project management and cohesion -- in the year and a half I've been around, we haven't really all come together to work on a project collaboratively, and communication is often a problem. I have to emphasize that that's not a criticism of Razmael or our volunteers; it's very clear in observing Aetolia that it evolved to operate without a Producer at the helm, after years of poor management or just divided attention. It's been a slow adjustment, now that we DO have a great Producer, to shake people out of their once-necessary autonomous shells and back into a team mindset. It helps that all our volunteers are fantastic, though. A lot of my strengths in time management ironically come from the very mild brain damage I suffered in high school. I have intermittent problems with my short term memory, so I've learned the hard way to write everything down. Fortunately, that aligns with my favorite rules for any kind of content creator or developer -- document EVERYTHING. So I have my whiteboard, my post-it notes, forums, wikis, messages, Asana (our project management suite), and plenty of people to directly remind me of things.
Best advice I can give for your time is to compartmentalize. Set aside specific periods of time not just for a range of tasks ("Aetolia things", "School things") but specific tasks: On Monday nights, I work on my primary Aetolia project. On Tuesdays, I have no specific purpose on Aetolia but I take care of homework. On Wednesdays, I have the most time off so I work to clean up the house, play some video games, and maybe tool with my secondary or tertiary Aetolia project. This is in addition to whatever daily routine, on which I elaborate below. I'm not sure exactly how to describe the way I approach player interactions without thinking I'll sound like some internet nerd trying too hard to sound like a badass. The real answer is that I find a way to detach my ego. And I don't necessarily just mean pride: any bias of which I'm consciously aware is a liability, good or bad. I try to focus on the MOTIVATION of the player, not necessarily what they're saying, and respond as such. That's why disingenuous behavior tends to get a hotter response than outright hateful behavior: one is a conscious attempt to mislead. The other is just someone letting off steam in an inappropriate way. Also, I stomp around and complain a lot in private. That helps me get out what little frustration I have before it's time to actually approach the issue.
Player leaders should strive to imagine adversaries as miniature little caricatures -- not for the purpose of condescending, but to remember that whatever is happening is words. It's harmless. When the stakes are lowered, it's much easier to keep a cool head. The most recent Epicurean was the first one I was involved with. I thought that was absolutely neat from a creative perspective. It definitely ruins things from an in-character perspective, but events take on their own intrigue from the opposite angle. They're often very hectic, but they breed an incredible excitement and anxiety as we all fight to make everything look and feel seamless. Especially in good events, where we're making stuff up on the fly based on player input/reactions, the feeling is electric. I do a lot of the same things players do. I check news, messages (lots of them), changelogs. I see which gods are around and check in with them if they're not AFK. I'll check into issues to see if there's anything I can or must attend to immediately. I also peek at forums obsessively, as I'm sure you all have realized. When I code, I have to have some sort of something on in the background. That's a big part of why I use three monitors on my desk. One for code, one for Netflix/hulu, one for client windows. If TV becomes a distraction, I switch to pandora or plug.dj. I honestly don't really have any triggers or aliases. I highlight the line we get when somebody buys something and I have a little ding to get my attention when someone sends me a tell. I really love our system for displaying atmospheric messages. Haern badgered me from the day I came up as a coder to rewrite the clunky atmos system, and I finally got a chance to do it a couple months later. It took some getting used to, but I think it's really powerful. Our builder bounty board, which (for those uninitiated) lets us throw up quick, easy-completion building tasks to the mortal builders, is another big point of pride. Gonna have to get back to you on this one. All my answers are flippant jokes, kind of, and I think it deserves a serious answer. Accidentally spawning a few million puppies while testing the Warhounds revamp is probably up there on the list. Truly living cities, towns, and villages, a la Fallout or those similar games. NPCs who go about their day, interact with you in a realistic, consistent, and evolving manner, and real consequences for interference. Her name would be Cinnamon and she would be reddish-brown.
Politics
(I have no idea what Oleis head looks like but from his description beercan crushing could be likely.)
Politics
Politics
Does IRE have any real plans for GOOD future possible gold sinks? The whole 'more environments' addition was great, but in my opinion lacking of a good gold sink.
And what about the GIANT excess of haven points most of us have, are there any plans to bring utilization to those than just have them sit and gather dust?
How many more endgame areas are going to be/planned for release because the more areas to hunt the more variety of areas people have to choose from to bash? Not to mention it increases the amount of areas that possibly WON'T BE hunted out during GHs.
Have there been any talks about adding more instances like Xaanhal? Personally, I'd like to think that an instance in Volcano and Tiyen would be nice.
Thats all I have for now, I might have some more later. I'm not too sure. My mind is random and odd.
Politics
On a more serious note, and as someone who has skimmed the thread, where'd you pick up your coding skills from? Classes, random projects, books? And, to further the question, and coding resources out there you couldn't live without?
Why won't you accept my steam friend request?
Remind yourself, that who you are is completely and 100 percent within yourself. (Discovery, Understanding, Relating) That is a process in which many people struggle with, in any sexuality/lifestyle.
We are human, and we are entitled to being who we desire to be, so long as it does not harm another, or infringe on the rights of humankind then so be it. Coming from a catholic family on one side and a Jewish family on the other, I was given immense amounts of grief due to religious reservations. That being said, the ones who matter, who legitimately are worth it, and care about you as a person. Those times are when the sparkling gems shine through all the coal in your life and love you for exactly who you are.
Sorry @Oleis -kinda hijacked this here.
Love life and love who you are... You have no need to ever prove yourself to anyone but the hardest critic you have, and that is yourself.
Long story short, be prepared to trudge through the negativity with your head high, so that you can find those who are truly there for you and love you for who you are.
All that being said, any family member or friend who decides that you're weird/unnatural/possessed/demon whatever aren't worth the time of day.
Edit: Apologies for derailing/taking over Oleis' AMA. Just wanted to let folks know that just like not all X are Y, not all Republicans have their heads up their unicorns.
I really love the flavor of Lusternia's
ManipulationInfluencing (thanks Zek) even though I don't exactly love how they do it. It would be neat to have a more effective and realistic relationships with NPCs.Politics